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Research Articles

Widespread pain and altered renal function in ME/CFS patients

, , , &
Pages 132-145
Received 24 Apr 2016
Accepted 24 Jun 2016
Published online: 29 Jul 2016
 

ABSTRACT

Background: Widespread pain is noted in many patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia and temporomandibular disorders. These conditions usually start as a localized condition and spread to a widespread pain condition with increasing illness duration. Purpose: To aim was to assess the changes in biochemistry associated with pain expression and alterations in renal function. Methods: Forty-seven ME/CFS patients and age/sex-matched controls had a clinical examination, completed questionnaires, standard serum biochemistry, glucose tolerance tests and serum and urine metabolomes in an observational study. Results: Increases in pain distribution were associated with reductions in serum essential amino acids, urea, serum sodium and increases in serum glucose and the 24-hour urine volume; however the biochemistry was different for each pain area. Regression modelling revealed potential acetylation and methylation defects in the pain subjects. Conclusions: These findings confirm and extend our earlier findings. These changes appear consistent with repeated minor inflammatory-mediated alterations in kidney function resulting in essential amino acid deprivation and inhibition of protein synthesis and genetic translation within tissues.

Acknowledgements

The authors of this work would like to thank the nursing and administrative staff at the CFS Discovery clinic for their important help throughout this study. Compliance with ethics: The study was approved by the University of Melbourne human research ethics committee (HREC# 0723086).

Disclosure statement

No conflicts of interest were reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by grants from the Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannett Williams memorial foundation (The Mason Foundation) and equipment grants from the Rowen White Foundation and the State of Victoria.

Notes on contributors

Neil R. McGregor

Neil R. McGregor completed his Ph.D. in 2000 at the University of Sydney. His area of research involves the use of Metabolomics, Genomics, Microbiomics and Symptomics and the use of these techniques to investigate chronic disease, fatigue and pain syndromes.

Christopher W. Armstrong

Christopher W. Armstrong is a Biochemistry Ph.D. candidate at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne.

Donald P. Lewis

Donald P. Lewis is a medical practitioner who restricts his practice to diagnosis and treatment of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He has been involved in multiple chronic fatigue research projects over the years.

Henry L. Butt

Henry L. Butt is the director of a NATA accredited microbiology laboratory. He completed his Ph.D. in Newcastle Australia and his research is based around the examination of the faecal microbiome and its influence upon host disease.

Paul R. Gooley

Paul R. Gooley is the associate professor of biochemistry at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne. His research involves investigations of proteins with NMR spectroscopy.

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